Antifungal and antiocratoxigenic potential of Alpinia speciosa and Cymbopogon flexuosus essential oils encapsulated in poly(lactic acid) nanofibres against Aspergillus fungi.

Essential oils encapsulated in a polymeric matrix can be used as an alternative method to control fungi and mycotoxins. The essential oils were extracted by hydrodistillation and characterized by gas chromatography. The nanofibres were produced from poly (acid lactic) (PLA) containing essential oils by the Solution Blow Spinning method. The antifungal and antimicotoxygenic properties were evaluated against Aspergillus ochraceus and Aspergillus westerdijkiae by the fumigation method. Terpinen-4-ol (20·23%), sabinene (20·18%), 1·8-cineole (16·69%) and γ-terpinene (11·03%) were the principal compounds present in the essential oil from Alpinia speciosa, whereas citral (97·67%) was dominant from Cymbopogon flexuosus. Microscopy images showed that the addition of essential oils caused an increase in the diameter of the nanofibres. The infrared spectroscopy results indicated the presence of essential oils in the PLA nanofibres. Differential scanning calorimetry curves also indicated the existence of interactions between the essential oils and polymeric macromolecules through their plasticizing action. The hydrophobic character of nanofibres was revealed by the contact angle technique. An antifungal effect was observed, the mycelial growths (3·25-100%) and the synthesis of ochratoxin A (25·94-100%) were inhibited by the presence of the nanofibres. The results suggest that bioactive nanofibres hold promise for application to control toxigenic fungi.

[National campaign to detect suspected diabetes cases in Brazil: a preliminary report]. / Campanha nacional de detecção de casos suspeitos de diabetes mellitus no Brasil: relatório preliminar.

The Ministry of Health of Brazil is implementing a National Plan for the Reorganization of Health Care for Hypertension and Diabetes Mellitus, with the aim of reducing the morbidity and mortality associated with diabetes. This plan is divided into four stages, one of which was a national campaign to detect suspected diabetes cases that was carried out in March and April 2001. This was the first survey of its kind carried out by public health services in Brazil, and the preliminary results are described in this article. Out of a total of 5,507 participating municipalities, 4,446 of them (81%) submitted data to the Ministry of Health. Twenty million people were tested (71% of the target population), and 3.3 million of them were identified as possibly having diabetes. The campaign will contribute towards restructuring the systematic and resolution-oriented care that the national, public Unified Health System provides to diabetics. The preliminary results confirm that diabetes is one of the main health problems in Brazil. Priority should be given to preventing type 2 diabetes.

Design and calibration of unicapillary pneumotachographs.

This study presents a method for design and calibration of unicapillary pneumotachographs for small-animal experiments. The design, based on Poiseuille's law, defines a set of internal radius and length values that allows for laminar flow, measurable pressure differences, and minimal interference with animal's respiratory mechanics and gas exchange. A third-order polynomial calibration (Pol) of the pressure-flow relationship was employed and compared with linear calibration (Lin). Tests were done for conditions of ambient pressure (Pam) and positive pressure (Ppos) ventilation at different flow ranges. A physical model designed to match normal and low compliance in rats was used. At normal compliance, Pol provided lower errors than Lin for mixed (1-12 ml/s), mean (4-10 ml/s), and high (8-12 ml/s) flow rate calibrations for both Pam and Ppos inspiratory tests (P < 0.001 for all conditions) and expiratory tests (P < 0.001 for all conditions). At low compliance, they differed significantly with 8.6 +/- 4.1% underestimation when Lin at Pam was used in Ppos tests. Ppos calibration, preferably in combination with Pol, should be used in this case to minimize errors (Pol = 0.8 +/- 0.5%, Lin = 6.5 +/- 4.0%, P < 0.0005). Nonlinear calibration may be useful for improvement of flow and volume measurements in small animals during both Pam and Ppos ventilation.

[Primary psoas abscess in a child. Case report and review of the literature]. / Abscesso primário do psoas em criança: relato de caso e revisão da literatura.

Primary psoas abscess is an uncommon disease. In children, clinical manifestations is often inspecific leading to diagnostic delay. The authors relate a primary pyogenic abscess of the psoas muscle in a 7-year-old girl with secondary septic arthritis of the hip. Confirmation of diagnosis was established by computerized tomography (CT) of the abdominal and pelvic areas. A review of the literature is presented about clinical manifestations, pathogenesis, differential diagnosis, etiology, diagnostic and therapeutic management of this infrequent entity.